Princess Rising
by Raza Stanza
Summary: Hime and her gang have faced many challenges during their War, but none quite compare to the horrors their ancestors faced just a few centuries back. Disease, famine, and genocide were a harsh reality as Royalty clamored over one another to reach the Throne. Yet through it all, a hero would arise and her actions, though tragic and lost, would move the world for centuries to come.
1. Chapter 1: Enter Princess of Misfortune

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Princess Resurrection, however, Princess Rising is an original work inspired by the official continuity. I don't plan to profit from this story but it is mine and I suppose that means I own it. Anyway, don't sue me and of course enjoy the show!

**Author Note:** Hello all, Raza here and this is it! This is the moment where I finally unveil my original series, **Princess Rising**! YAY! HOORAY! Okay... now I had a few things that I wanted to say but I'll save them for the end note at the bottom. In the meantime, **please, please review and comment!** Your feedback is what gives me the fuel to keep going! That said I really hope you enjoy this original story as much as I did when writing and planning it! A lot of love and time went into creating these characters and adding to Yasunori Mitsunaga's world. I really hope that shines through in this and the updates to come as we explore a vast open universe that we barely got to see within the 87 short chapters of the original manga. Cheers!

P.S. I included the Soundtrack (ST) selection here for your convenience. Unfortunately, I couldn't put the hyperlinks in because the doc manager doesn't allow that. You can just type the song names in a youtube search though if you're interested or you can check out my profile where they're listed and linked. These are just youtube videos so feel free to move on to the story below. I just felt these songs fit well if my story were an anime! You know, just to make the whole experience more immersive. But anyway, let me stop right there. Please enjoy the story, the songs, and the upcoming art! It's all there for you!

* * *

**Princess Rising:**

**Chapter One: Enter Princess of Misfortune:**

**By: Raza Stanza**

* * *

**Season One: Princess Rising I: ST Selection:**

Opening Theme for Princess Rising: Murder Princess Opening OST—Hikari Sasuhou by Back-On

Ending Theme for Princess Rising: Nurarihyon no Mago Opening OST—Fast Forward by Monkey Majik

* * *

"Fuga? Fuga?" Flandre called as she entered into an enormous room. It was empty, or rather no there was nobody there for the room itself was quite filled. In its middle for example, perhaps even its center; there lay a long beautiful mahogany table that sat sixteen though thirty two could fit. Fine dark wood panels and ornate Chinas lined the corners and painted the room. Yet to the sides and up the walls, the little maid looked all this over carefully as if inspecting for a very specific clue. She seemed to find what she was looking for as her eyes finally settled on an antique chair that'd been pulled out ever so slightly. "Fuga." She nodded before pushing the chair back into place and, giving one last look around, the cute little robomaid turned on her heel taking care not to spill the tea set she balanced on one hand. She then exited the room closing the door behind her.

And so she went, down along a long bright corridor filled with many thick and glossy windows. The hallway was empty too, almost eerily so, that despite how large and decorated it was, as if it were meant for droves and droves of people, the only sounds the little maid heard were her own footsteps echoing back to her.

Yet, for all that, it was not unnerving, not at all. It was actually kind of pleasant, quaintly so. There was a peace here, one that seeped its way into the floor and in your bones. A kind of restful waft filled the air, it thickened the dust, it closed your eyes, and just outside, as if in sync, the afternoon Sun blanketed the world in a sleepy orange hue.

"Fuga." The cute little maid cooed as she turned her head to look outside for even she had to notice. And indeed, even Flandre had to notice; that just below the swift sunset on the rolling hills and mountains, there in its white marble magnificence lay a courtyard of stone. Dots of people, or what must have been people, moved like ants from one side to the next and a few clouds blocked the view below potentially masking the many more, the people, as they went about their day winding down to the swift cooling rest that beckoned from the night. And then there were lights. Oh yes there were lights, the kind that glittered with glamour, that sparkled even in the presence of the Sun as the metropolis below lit up far into the desert before it.

A peaceful wind suddenly gusted by gently rattling the windows not doubt trying to cater to the needs of the face. That even up here at this elevation, the like that mountains could not reach, atop the World living in this Castle made for Gods, where a light frost clung permanently to the four corners of the windows, the wind blew gently as if out of respect, and it would be a comfort to any and all who felt it—like it was built and arranged by the grand architect that was Nature for the sole purpose of making you gasp.

Were it that the little maid had more time to process. Alas she had work to do. She always did but she never minded and so, getting back to it, she panned her head from side to side as she continued down the hall. Eventually, she came across the sound of paper being turned and the soft creasing of fabric underneath a fragile body. "Fuga." She called as she slowed up coming to the source—a slightly open room. She waited for a response but none ever came and so she did the only logical thing. She walked in anyway.

"Fufu… is that you Flandre?" A familiar female voice rang the instant the little robomaid made her way inside. Sure enough, there was the lady herself, there was Hime sitting all comfortably and beautifully at the center of the room. And she was beautiful; she was indeed. The years had been very kind to her though arguably they would never be against her. Such was the nature of her people after all. That even after all these years, even after all of her battles, not a single scar could be found anywhere on her body to say nothing for the lack of wrinkles, bags, and crow's feet that refused to comment on her face. She had, on the other hand, changed in one noticeable way. She had taken on a more mature figure having grown a bit in proportion and becoming a bit taller—the latter of which helped to accent her once subtle curves.

Add to that her prim and proper posture mixed in with her usual indifferent smile and she gave off an overwhelming aura of wisdom, far more than she ever did before, and it showed in the room itself—like everything was touched and made better by her simple existence there.

So yes, all around her were stacks upon stacks of gilded books, some on tables, some on the floor. It all just stood as proof of the time she'd spent sitting there; in that room whose walls had shelves built into shelves of literature stretching up and upward toward a glass dome ceiling that appeared to touch the sky.

"Fuga?" The little blonde maid questioned as she walked over to pour her mistress a cup of tea. Her voice and footsteps echoed as she moved across the great library like parlor.

"Nothing really." Hime sighed as she finally looked up. "I was just reading… that's all. It's been a while since I've had a free day let alone a free week… I'd almost forgotten how expansive father's library was… or rather I should say _our_ library now…"

"Fuga?"

"Fufu."

"Fuga…" Flandre muttered and Hime closed her eyes and chuckled once again.

"Nosy aren't we Flandre?"

"Fuga!"

"My, my no need to get so defensive. (I was only teasing though you seem to have gotten rather cheeky over the years.) I was reading up on some history…"

"Fuga?"

"That's right… history. After all…" Hime smirked as her gaze shifted back toward her maid, almost as if what she was about to say next was so damn important, it required direct eye-contact. "**I am the King**." And so it did. Hime said that. She said that so effortlessly, and yet the way she smirked right afterward, the honest way her eyes narrowed, hell even the way Flandre blinked a few times with a sort satisfied glint in her robotic purple pupils… it was like a great roar that threatened to shake the heavens, rumble the castle on its way up for all things were resonant with those words wishing to reaffirm just how true they really were. "And so," she continued. "As you're King, I need to be fully aware of all of our affairs, past or present. Yet even saying that, there is still much I do not know… about this Kingdom… about the Phoenixes… about the beginning of the many different wars and grudges that we now have to contend with… like for instance did you know the Royal War wasn't always so… fufu… _civilized_?"

"Fuga Fuga?"

"Yes that's right. Civilized. I understand if you don't know what I mean. I doubt the Professor installed a complete history of the Kingdom in your database. There are parts that even he doesn't know, that even the world has forgotten, but yes, we didn't always get to line up so _nice_ and _neatly_ just to kill one another…"

"…Fuga…"

"You think so? Perhaps that _was_ rather callous of me… though maybe that's how it has to be… it is war we're talking about… it's not exactly amicable even if it's necessary… yet even then, that's not always easy to see, and things get complicated…

So I'll admit I've never run from a fight. I'll even admit that there was some degree of order in the madness… our war was planned, assets were divided, servants were assigned, areas of neutrality and truces were agreed upon… the war was brutal, I will never deny that…" Hime trailed off as a swift melancholy washed over her. She quickly shrugged it off as she looked back at her staring maid. "**But back then,**" she said as the lighting of the room seemed to change. "**The Royal War was hideous**. There were no standards you see. No rules that the King had to abide by… far less the juveniles fighting for their masters' throne. So armies were raised and armies were destroyed. And nations, great Kingdoms, some of which spanned hundreds of miles and thousands of years, they were razed to the ground…

Disease. Extinction. Starvation. Genocide.

Sure, there were bouts of peace between the Wars, time in which the phoenixes could rebuild the world they just destroyed, but even so, the Royal War just a few centuries back… it really was... **evil**…

And then came the Last War… the Last Great War… In those years, and I mean years because this war lasted several, the fighting was at its worse… even by the standards I mentioned before… even compared to any war since, human or monster… Can you image Flandre?" Hime sighed as she reached to take a sip of her tea all the while Flandre just stood there quiet and listening, no doubt captivated by how talkative her master was being. "And so you see? Things had to change… The Royal War had to change. Rules had to be set in place. Restrictions had to be laid out. For the first time… the War needed to be contained. Then, only then, did it finally start taking on its modern form. That was less than a thousand years ago… Such was the scope and scale of the horrors committed back then… horrors said in these ancient books to have rivaled those of the First Great War… at the dawn of time with the birth of the first true member of my ancestors…

Hmpf. It's ironic… This war is so meaningful… so _abysmal_… and yet just this morning I knew next to nothing about it… _Why is that_?" She asked still staring at Flandre not really expecting an answer but still posing the question anyway. "If the war had to change then why hide that fact? Why not remember this war as a cautionary tale, or for days of mourning, or days of honor? Why the secrecy?

One day soon (well soon by my standard of time) I will have to step down from this throne and a new heir will take my place… it could be in fifty years, perhaps another hundred… but soon enough… there will be another King after me… and so there will be another Royal War…

_Is that the only way?_

That's the real question now. That's why I've been pouring over these books. That's why I need to know what happened back then in that forgotten time. I must know if I am to act in the interest of my people, of all people… of my… _future children_. It isn't easy of course, even with these books, these primary sources… there was so much going on during that time, so many different causes and effects, it's hard to know where it all begins and where it all ends… if it even ends… but, from what I was able to piece together, I think the answers I'm searching for… that _we're_ searching for… all begin with one very specific princess from a far away land… and the armageddon that consumed her… and nearly consumed the world itself…

Her name… was **Charlotte**…** The Lost Princess of the Sea**…"

* * *

_A Few Hundred Years Ago…_

"Princess Charlotte! Princess Charlotte!" A nervous voice rang as the sounds of footsteps echoed down a brightly lit hall.

"Hmm?" Responded an indifferent voice from inside one of the many open rooms along its length. "Over here." It called lowly like it didn't want to be found, like a child playing hide-and-seek with their parent, yet even then it proved just loud enough to hear for with a lightning precision, the footsteps down the hall all but screeched to a stop and came running back.

"There you are." Sighed an odd looking young maid as she appeared in the open frame of the door. And she was odd, she was indeed, but she wasn't ugly. She was actually quite beautiful. Her face was very smooth and her eyes were very bright—a sleek sort of purple gaze with a twinkle in each iris. She had, however, rather red skin that seemed to glow unnaturally, like there was gold flowing through her veins. If that was true then there must have been silver lining in her hair for that glowed too illuminating the long horns above either side of her forehead. Add to that her interesting choice in clothing, a black and white dress with lots of frills and an apron hemmed half-way by a red and white sash, and she truly was a sight to see.

"I found you." She huffed as she spoke again resting her hand and then her head against the dark wood panels of the door. Her eyes finally settled on the beautiful visage of the person she had been looking for, a fine young princess.

This girl now, in a sentence, was the embodiment of all that beauty aspired to be. Period. That described her well. That described her best. Such was the extent of her majesty, a characteristic shared to her by her people though she took it further to some extraordinary degree. That all those passing by would have to stop and stare if only to stop and stare because her beauty was far too much to comprehend… and all the royals and all the gods ever before been or ever after come would be held up to her esteem, to her glory, as if she were the shining center of the universe itself.

Not to mention she was young. She was so young. She couldn't be over twenty years of age, more likely sixteen or seventeen, eighteen at the oldest, though it was hard to tell from her ageless and stupefying beauty. Yet for all that, she did have distinct features, noticeable qualities that could be used to describe her. She had hip long gold hair with a bushel of bangs that hung down covering up her right eye. She seemed to see just fine regardless. Her eyes were powerful in their own right. They were red-silted gems that were at first cold, all notion of emotion hidden behind their porcelain like clarity, but then they were determined, infallible, like there was a great benevolence revealed in them, one that welled up when it was ready and burst at the seams making it clear to any and all who stared at her… she was right and you were wrong, but it was okay. She forgave you. She was merciful. She was the better man (...or woman).

"Lady Charlotte I was calling." The beautiful maid said as she finally entered the room. "Did you not hear me? Are you feeling unwell?"

"No I'm fine Serana." The angelic princess said frisking through a crop of her sunny gold hair. "I was just thinking…"

"Well please don't daydream! I know I don't need to tell you how important today is! We need to get you to your seat! The summit is about to convene!"

"Yes yes…" Charlotte said waving her hand off as her maid helped her out of her chair, or perhaps more accurately, yanked her to her feet. "Oh, and about my parents?"

"They're already in the observation booths. Patricia is looking after them, but she'll be along shortly so come on!"

"Right…" The fair princess sighed as she fell behind her energetic maid who all but bustled past her leading the way. "With the fate of the world at stake," she mumbled underneath her breath, "I suppose the least I could do is show up on time…"

"Did you say something my lady?" Serana called as she looked back in hurried glances.

"I did… but you'd just scold me if I said it again…"

"I don't doubt it…" The maid said and the two of them cracked a smile, though Serana tried to hide hers… rather unsuccessfully as Charlotte caught glimpses of it off the corner of her mouth. "A-anyway the meeting hall is right through here!" She pointed as they came upon a set of large handcrafted double doors the width of ten men and the height of three stories.

"I'm well aware Serana. I've been here twice (you and Patricia were with me both times)…"

"Heh. Well… it doesn't hurt to be reminded." Serana joked as the massive doors opened by themselves with a heavy set of creaks, like the machinery that must have been powering them was old and needed oiling.

"Serana…" Charlotte muttered as the doors opened and an instantaneous bright light that would have blinded any normal person shun through. "The chamber is empty…" The great princess frowned as she walked inside and the massive room shifted into focus. She walked along the bright red carpet that slowly revealed itself to the edge of the balcony that appeared before her. On either side were long gilded stairs each winding down gated by three sets of horizontal golden rods all polished to a brilliant platinum sheen. Just below, or rather several stories under, lay rows and rows of empty desks and seats with a few groups of people scurrying about looking as busy as can be. "What happened to the summit is about to convene?" Charlotte twisted up her mouth as she turned to look back at her maid.

"It is!" Serana said holding up a hand as she too walked in. "Just a temporary setback, look! Some of the royals are already in the court with their servants!" She pointed and sure enough there were several very distinct blurs of people among the others that could just barely be made out from the elevation above. It was almost as if they had their own aura about them, that in a crowd of people, they stood out best—the familiar blonde crop of the back of their heads also helped of course. "I'll have you set up in a second." Serana said as she turned back toward her princess. "I just didn't want to look for you when we actually needed to find you…"

"Ah I see… clever… you've gotten quite clever haven't you?"

"Well… with all due respect my lady… having to take care of a princess like you? Since birth? I needed to be far more than clever to survive…"

"Fufu… I take no offense at all…" Charlotte said rolling her eyes but she couldn't help but chuckle as Serana just shook her head with another smile making toward the stairwell. "I'll be outside Serana… I'm sure I'll be spending enough time in this room as it is… I'd rather get some fresh air while I still can."

"Very good. I'll come get you once the arrangements are in order, but please, till then, don't stray too far!" She called back almost in a begging voice as Charlotte turned around.

"…No promises." The fair princess mumbled as she exited the room. The double doors closing shut with the same series of heavy creaks behind her.

"Huh…" She heaved as she stood in place for a second. She took two of her fingers, her thumb and her index, and gripped her nose bridge as she arched her brow. "Huh…" She sighed again, almost in the same exact way like there was some terrible burden on her chest. "Come off it." She whispered to herself. She meant it as encouragement but it didn't seem to give her any. She just shrugged her shoulders as she walked back down the hall.

"Ah if it isn't Charlotte of Dunhauer!" Called a voice from behind her and the young princess shook her head. _That voice… why __**that**__ voice_? She thought as she turned around and sure enough she couldn't help but give another sigh. "Cesare… Lucrez…" She said coolly as she stared at the two blonde haired royals before her and boy, what a sight they were to see. They had a similar sort of beauty, one could tell right away that they were all family, but it was the way these two carried themselves that made them differ. They were finely dressed, or perhaps no, far too finely dressed with their red matching capes and diamond studded rings. Numerous stones of precious merit were lined and intertwined with the fur of their clothing as they smiled pompous smiles arm in arm like they were touring the world.

"Fancy seeing you here!" The man of the duo mocked as he dislodged himself from his sister. "I figured you'd have run off by now seeing how we all know this is going to end." He smiled a crooked smile through his obnoxiously well-kept facial hair. "But please…" He clasped his two hands together and his sister gave a well-mannered, detestable laugh. "Please don't tell me that you're here _yet again_ to spout that inane drivel of yours!"

"_Drivel_? Why, whatever do you mean?"

"Hmpf… playing dumb… word has reached as far as the South Isles cousin… oh yes! 'Savior Charlotte!' 'Charlotte the Messiah!' The champion of peace and postponing the war! 'The Rose and Wine' turned 'Prophet and Priest!' Hah! What a thinly veiled lie—"

"I speak no lies Cesare." Charlotte responded sharply. "I am quite different from you in that regard." She jabbed giving a fine glare in his direction causing the pompous prince to cringe a little. "I seek that which is best for my people… and for all people regardless of whether or not they are my own."

"Tsst… How recited…"

"That is what you'd say isn't it? I don't know why I'm surprised, why I expected any better… for a royal to think so underhandedly… how unsightly…" She all but spat completely done playing around with this man.

"Oh ho ho! Yes but Charlotte my dearest…" Cesare chimed as he walked right up to her extending his hand to caress her cheek.

"Don't touch me." She said as she glanced at him, her words stopping him dead in his tracks. It was such a simple statement, yet the way Cesare flinched right afterward, the look in Charlotte's eyes, the fire, the strength, for a second Cesare looked like he'd seen a ghost as he took a step back. His sister gave a concerned look in his direction before going back to glaring at Charlotte.

"You don't look so good Cesare." A new voice suddenly boomed from behind them and Cesare once again looked like he was about to jump out of his skin. He whirled around only to find himself face to face with the buttons of a fine red tailored royal coat.

"D-Daniel?!" The gawking Prince choked as he and his sister strained themselves to look up at the very tall and imposing young Royal now standing there behind them.

"Cesare. Lucruz." The tall Prince said looking down from one of them to the other. His gaze caused them both to cringe as Lucruz did her best to keep steady but the minute her eyes came in contact with this newcomer's, she had to look away practically begging the ground beneath her feet to swallow her up whole. Cesare now was sweating bullets as he sized up the great tree of a man. He noticed him look past, snatching a glance at Charlotte and so he realized. "Ah! I see! Come to help everyone's favorite little peacemaker have you?"

"She doesn't need any help from me Cesare…" Daniel responded almost proudly. "And also," he called as he looked straight into Cesare's eyes, "if you're going to start insulting someone in a conversation with another… might I recommend you speak to that person face to face… after all…" He started whispering coming in close by bending his back almost as if he was trying to get on Cesare's level. It was too low for him to go. "She's standing right behind you."

"Don't bother." Charlotte cut in seizing the moment. "I've said all that I care too. I'll save my breath for the debate so till then… Cesare. Lucruz. Why don't you take your seats? It'd be a shame if you had to sit in the back…"

"Tsst… very good Charlotte… we'll let the court decide!" Cesare snarled as his sister rushed to his side wrapping an arm around his own. She glared one last time at Charlotte and just completely ignored Daniel before turning to brace her brother with one hand on his back, catering to him like he'd just been in a fight, one that he had lost, as they both headed off toward the summit. Charlotte and Daniel's gaze followed after them even as they disappeared down that hall. Not until they heard the same series of creaks and cracks twice as the doors to the summit opened and then closed, did they finally ease up blinking their eyes.

"I see our cousins from the South Isles are just as… _friendly_ as ever…" Charlotte finally said breaking the silence.

"Oh I don't know. They're too busy worrying about their next party and counting their gold to be friendly with anyone other than themselves… we're all _so_ beneath them after all."

"Oh please… pedigree isn't everything…"

"Yet it seems enough to separate us from the so called commoners… we decide what's best for them and they accept our words like good little sheep… I had no idea people's lives were so easily directed when we ourselves are so free…"

"You're talking philosophy now?" She smirked as she turned to fully face the tall handsome man who walked forward to meet her. "Daniel…"

"No… principle!" The man said and then he gave a great roar of a laugh, the kind that echoed regardless of where he was, the kind you'd expect from a mead hall, or a place of frequent intoxication, an honest and hard working laugh not unlike the one that men give right after telling an obviously exaggerated story, like he was a man's man, not something one would expect from his smooth skin and blonde hair. His stature seemed to make up for it though. It balanced him and all his qualities and somehow it worked. So yes indeed, he was an odd ball of something furiously pleasant, and he could make any man smile even as he called them an ass. Such was the power of his booming voice. It made people stand at attention, even if he looked too damn pretty for such a grizzled old father-type tone.

"You always did like to play on words."

"And you always indulged me… ever since we were children. It's not ironic that we now find ourselves on the same side, arguing the same point."

"I guess the same thing can be said for those who oppose us."

"Haha! Well… maybe… not Cesare though… no… no… I don't believe that one, no… you _specifically_ seem to attract all of his attention…"

"I can't imagine why."

"Oh I think you know."

"Okay fine. Let me rephrase. I'd rather not think about that."

"Haha! Yes well… he's use to his females being quiet and submissive… family or otherwise… you are not and so you intrigue him… you bother him… hell quite frankly… you piss him off…"

"Lucky me…" Charlotte said but she couldn't help chuckle at that as Daniel moved in for a hug and she returned his embraced. Of course, perhaps 'returned' was the wrong word to use there. She tried to return his hug wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders while he practically knelt down to reach her. Her head ended up resting on his chest and her arms got around just barely touching the side of his epaulettes. Still, it was a nice firm hug—a great warmth was found between them as they greeted each other dearly.

"How have you been?" Charlotte exhaled closing her eyes getting lost in their embrace. "It's been about 6 months hasn't it? Daniel."

"Ah just Daniel?"

"Hmm?"

"I miss the old days when you used to call me big brother!"

"Fufu… those were better times cousin…"

"They were indeed." Daniel beamed as they slowly dislodged from one another.

"You haven't answered my question." Charlotte scolded giving him a look.

"Haha yes yes I've been fine! Mother has been good too… well… as good as she can be all things considered. She… she couldn't make the trip though. Not this time…"

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine… it's just… the Eastern Sea isn't really helping her as much as it used to… not since Father passed away…"

"I'm so sorry." Charlotte whispered as Daniel's gaze shifted to the ground.

"Bwa!" He scuffed stopping himself in mid-frown. "What about you? What about you cousin! How have things been up in the North? How are Viktor and Jezebel? Barrow still keeping the old man in line is he? Hahaha!"

"Mother and Father have been well. Barrow's good too though he keeps his hand on his sword and the guards at attention."

"Wise man considering the times."

"Yes well… other than that, everything else is good I suppose. Serana and Patricia are with us here, a few others too, we can't complain."

"Really?"

"Yes yes."

"Are you sure?"

"I am sure…"

"Because from what I hear, you still haven't taken any steps to protect your kingdom cousin."

"Oh not this again." The fine princess turned away instantly.

"Charlotte." Daniel sighed calling her back. "Charlotte." He said as he bent down to grab her shoulder. "Look… I know you hate talking about this but what kind of ally would I be if I didn't ask you again?"

"A less annoying one."

"I _have_ to ask you again."

"Then the answer I gave you before I too shall give you again…"

"Charlotte…" Daniel exhaled sharply as he shook his head, his voice suddenly becoming rather serious. "The likelihood of us succeeding… of us convincing the court to postpone the war any longer… it's—"

"Second thoughts?" She said throwing him an indifferent glance.

"No… I'm here where I stand, right alongside you… I've always got your back… we were born apart but we were raised as family, and I believe you aren't wrong on this… but Charlotte… I'm just speaking logically…" he said and the minute he said that Charlotte looked away as if she knew what was coming next. "**Make a pact with me**… join me in an alliance… we need to prepare for the worst…"

"I refuse."

"Charlotte!"

"One cannot champion peace while preparing for war."

"Yes, but if the champion of peace is first to fall then what does that say about peace?" Daniel cut-in rather coldly to which Charlotte glared at him. "It's a nice ideal Charlotte…" He apologized holding up his hands. "Believe me… I understand… it is perhaps that fact above all, your stubborn idealism, that we even have a chance at this final debate… but even so… to completely keep your domain demilitarized? Listen to me. Besides your royal and city guards… to barely have a standing militia to protect your populous and patrol your lands? To not even have a single blood warrior—"

At that point, Charlotte's gaze got really nasty and Daniel shut the hell up for a second. "Look. I know how you feel about the subject, and I know I shouldn't have mentioned that last part seeing as though I myself have none… _currently_… but cousin… this is something that even you must abide by. It's part of our heritage, an ability, it's a form of protection!"

"If that's the case, were it that I could live without protection…"

"Think about your people…"

"I am and my people do not worry."

"That's because they're blinded by their love for you! Few can make such a boast… you are loved, your father was loved, your mother is loved… your mother… she's a vampire! And yet the people of Dunhauer love her! Your grandfather and his father before that! Why squander that power to make a point? Your people are completely unaware that for all intents and purposes… we're probably going to lose today…"

"So now what? You're accusing me of lying to them?"

"Charlotte!" Daniel snapped. "Stop being so damn difficult! That's not what I'm saying! Look…" He quickly calmed back down scratching his head while snatching glances at his stubborn cousin. "I love you like a sister… and I'm not saying you're lying to your people! I'm saying they're in denial because of their love for you… they believe in you so much… how then can you use their trust in this way? Even if it's perhaps the most noble thing any phoenix has ever done… how can you make your entire people a sacrifice for the world? Completely keeping your zone demilitarized… I mean if a tree grows in a forest and that forest catches flame, how then can that tree refuse to burn? How then can it even argue the fire should never have happened if it itself doesn't take steps to stop it."

"But if those steps can cause a fire, why bother taking those steps at all? Why not argue against them? And also I don't think trees can do that…"

"Okay okay so fine! It's an imperfect analogy but I still have a point! Our brothers and sisters have been hard at work… I hear Julius of Manihart has already gained control of the eastern passage by way of a sizeable navy… William of Sedda has made it abundantly clear he has the favor of the Werewolves… and William III of Gorack, Theodore of Mindoir, and Christopher of Spigal have formed an alliance…

Charlotte… see what is before you. Please! The war has started, official or otherwise… please just join me… I can extend my wings to protect you… send a small battalion to your lands… it doesn't have to be an army… and at the end of the day… no one would look down on you for that. No one could criticize you or call you a hypocrite because those forces are my own… I'll sign whatever treaties you want, I'll give in to any stipulation you make but so long as we just call those troops mine and they fly my flag, then the rest of the world shouldn't have a problem. We can come up with an official reason for it as we go… what we can't do is a damn thing until you say the word… That's where we stand. Our kingdoms are just days apart by sea. Just give me the word and I'll have a battalion sent immediately. That's the only thing between us now and a back-up plan if we fail today. Just you. You and your word."

"There's more to it than that Daniel and you know it."

"What?"

"If you protect me, you will weaken yourself."

"No that's not—"

"Even if it's just a battalion, let's think this through. We have very few of our relatives planning on the vote to postpone the war today… all of them know… all of them can _feel_ which way the winds are blowing… we have been sympathetic to each other's causes so we would make the most obvious choice in allies… yet who would ever want to be in an alliance with two kingdoms, one of which has no standing military and the other is stretching itself thin to protect more than twice its own population… Just a battalion? Don't insult me Daniel… I know the politics, I see the details… there's no need for both of us to go down with this sinking ship…"

"Damn it Charlotte! Listen to yourself! Your people will suffer if we lose at this table!" Daniel boomed with an exhausted sigh like that was his last ditch effort, his last line of defense, yet Charlotte just gave him a long hard look, the kind that was respectful right before you were going to tell someone they were wrong.

"Daniel." She said tenderly and her eyes glazed a bit. "If we lose at this table… **the world will suffer**."

"The world…" Daniel repeated.

"See what is before you…"

"Huh… you had to go and quote me… god damn…" Daniel said shaking his head doing his best not to smile. He didn't want to. He was mad, but Charlotte, she was one hell of talker. "I… I don't agree with you." He finally grimaced looking up. "I don't. I can't. I don't understand your reasons or even your point. It just doesn't make sense to me… _but…_ I can see that I cannot dissuade you… and while I really don't know how it is that you got these silly thoughts inside your head, mark my words… whatever happens today and whatever happens tomorrow, my port, my Kingdom, it's open to you… you are forever welcomed in my halls… even my people agree…"

"Hmpf… couldn't stop yourself from saying that much huh?"

"Hell no."

"I suppose stubbornness runs in the family… I understand… _Big brother_…"

"Then shall we? _Little Char_…"

"Don't push your luck…" she muttered and Daniel just laughed (albeit a bit sadly) as the two of them walked along that bright corridor back toward the massive double doors just as Serana's voice came ringing in their ears.

The summit was about to begin.

* * *

**NEXT TIME:** War seems to be brewing as over one hundred Royal juveniles come together from all corners of the Monster Realm to have their summit! Tensions are festering, alliances are forming, many are antsy but few are ready. Find out what it all amounts to in this strange world with its hidden past as we follow our brave new heroine, Princess Charlotte, on an adventure that would eventually shake the entire world to its core. Brace yourselves folks. The statement, 'this is only the beginning,' has never been truer. All that and more next time on Princess Rising!

* * *

**End Note:** Alright guys so I hope that wasn't too slow for you. The first chapter was meant to be lot longer, but then I realized that some people, myself included, get turned off from really long works so I decided to break up my chapters more. Don't get me wrong, this is going to be a huge work, but I'll try to make the chapters more manageable, both for myself and your reading pleasure.

That said, this will probably be my last Princess Resurrection story for awhile excluding the mature fic and one-shot(s) I've also been working on. I know it's sad but this project is going to take up way too much time. Furthermore, I wanted to again mention that I'll be posting pictures of the characters and other concept art with each update. I still have some that need finishing and posting from Princess Finale. The links will again be to photobucket in my author homepage though I like what I did here, including the ST selection, in the actual update. I can't put the link but I'll mention to check my profile in the updates since for some reason, a lot of readers don't visit author profile pages. So yeah, that's the augmented way I'm going to get the youtube soundtrack to you guys and my hand-drawn stuff.

Heck I'd love it if you guys did a few drawings of your own for Princess Rising or Princess Resurrection in general so I could link them to my profile and showcase them off for the entire community. I'm not the best drawer in the world so don't be shy yourselves! I think this could be a really cool fandom project! I'll list some instructions on how we can do that in my author profile and I'll mention it in the next update or two when I figure something out. Till then, Raza out!

Oh and **PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW AND COMMENT! **Not just my work but for the entire PR community—just because the manga is done doesn't mean the community needs to die! Let's see some new stories and new authors as well! I know I'm not one to talk, it's been months since I've been able to read fanfics myself far less review them. You can bet though I'll be reading them again soon enough and commenting too! Keep on supporting each other guys! THANKS!

Oh and almost forgot... HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2014! WOOHOO! Happy end of the Holidays haha! Here's was one last present! Hope you liked it! Let me know in a review! Thanks guys!


	2. Chapter 2: I Bet the World Today

**Author Note:** Hello all! Raza here! Welcome back to my spin-off! Okay, so I haven't received many views or reviews for the first chapter so I'm a little nervous about what's to come. That's why I'd like to apologize guys. I made a stupid mistake. What I should have done was include this chapter as part of the first one like I originally planned. That way it wouldn't have been like I just dropped this random story on you guys with all these new characters that none of you have any relationship with. I guess that's why things like new TV shows have such long pilots to get you up to speed on everything that's about to happen. Anyway, I'm sorry. I hope you continue to give this story a chance and enjoy this update that'll hopefully get things moving! Thanks guys! Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Two: I Bet the World Today:**

* * *

Opening Theme: Murder Princess Opening OST—Hikari Sasuhou by Back-On:

* * *

The summit hall was writhing with activity. It was hard to believe that just an hour ago the mammoth sized room that was all but empty was now filled to the brim; its floor a literal sea of people. Yet even then, it wasn't only the floor that was crowded. The room itself though blessed with high walls, tall columns, and a ceiling that was practically the skyline had many balconies on its way up to heaven. Each of them was filled with still more people even at the height you'd start expecting to see clouds. Charlotte, for her part, just took it all in as she sat at the center of the room.

"Milady are you alright?" Serana asked as she took a damp cloth rubbing down the desk in front of her solemn master. "Would you like some water or wine? Some food perhaps?"

"I'm fine Serana I'm fine." Charlotte responded without batting an eye.

"Might you wish to visit the restroom?"

"Serana I said I'm fine. Thank you."

"…Forgive me milady… I'm sure you remember how long these talks can take."

"I appreciate your concern, but I don't think they'll take long today…"

"Your highness…" The red maid trailed off as she stopped her polishing. Her eyes sank on her master as Charlotte looked across the room.

"All pieces have been assembled on the board… and they're not in our favor… it'd be a miracle if we even last ten minutes at this debate…" The young princess heaved a heavy sigh clicking her tongue in despair. She shook her head as she drew in a deep breath. "I was talking to Daniel earlier." She frowned.

"Yes I know. You two came in together…"

"Yes… he was asking me to make a pact with him."

"Again?"

"Again."

"Well… it's not a bad idea…"

"That's precisely my point." She grimaced balling her hands up into fists. "Maybe I've taken this too far… m-maybe I've lead us down the wrong path. I mean Phoenixes be praised Serana look at this summit! Look at our chances! We're so… _far gone_!" She spat almost like a child throwing a tantrum. Her eyes narrowed as she scrunched up her beautiful face with a sick sort of despair or self-loathing—perhaps a sinister combination of both.

"Hey. Heeey." Serana tendered as she crept down and that's when she noticed her princess was shivering. "Milady." She cooed as she tossed the damp cloth over her shoulder. She reached into her back-pocket and pulled out a fine velvet handkerchief. "You're shivering. And you're starting to sweat." She dabbed gingerly at Charlotte's forehead tracing the fragile creases of her perfect alabaster skin. The young princess did not resist as she became oddly docile which (though a nice change of pace) concerned her maid greatly. She just closed her eyes allowing Serana to take care of her. "You can't think like that, not now… if you start doubting yourself then sure, we're going to lose… but that's not like you is it? **Is it?** And besides, it's not like it's too late to make a pact with Daniel. I'm not saying you should… but… depending on how this goes—"

"Depending on how this goes!" Charlotte laughed rolling her eyes.

"**Depending on how this goes**," Serana repeated sternly, "you can speak to him on our way out."

"For what Serana? A battalion? Maybe two? A regiment even? It's 23 days by sea to the port of Gale and Daniel's Kingdom… if we lose at this summit, war starts immediately. 23 days is enough time for our kingdom to lie in ruin, and it's too short a time to get the amount of troops we need."

"So then we'll start a draft the minute we get back! Have Barrow and all of his lieutenants start training men for the field! Milady, we haven't lost yet! Keep it in the back of your mind, but don't let it consume you! Daniel's support is still something and it's better than nothing even if we have to wait!"

"It's not just that Serana… I know my cousin would give us as many men as we needed, but his kingdom isn't even half the size of Dunhauer. To ask him for any meaningful amount of troops… it would destroy him. He'd be stretched too thin… and he would still do it too… that selfless fool… that's all because of me, this is my doing, my stubbornness…

I honestly thought if we wanted peace bad enough, if we protested against the war, if we just kept going, kept our kingdom demilitarized, our relatives would see that enough was enough… and we just wanted to live in peace… and happiness… Tsst… **I guess that was wrong**. What a joke… what a hopeless dream…"

"Milady," Serana choked as she wiped a few tears from her eyes and took a deep breath. "Please, please, _please_ don't say these kinds of things. Have faith in yourself… we have so much in you… all is not lost. We're still here! When the time comes; no, _if_ the time comes—"

"If—?"

"Yes if!" The young maid yelled like she was begging her princess to believe her now. "We'll figure it out! I know we will… we always have… where's that stubborn princess I helped raise?"

"…Right…" Charlotte whispered as she gave a quick sniffle. "Right." She said again as she took the handkerchief from her maid and finished wiping her own face. "W-Where's Patricia?"

"She's tending to your parents."

"Right, right you told me… but don't my parents have Clovis, Marnie, and Barrow?"

"Yes Milady, but your father specifically requested Patricia for something. She'll be along soon I promise—!"

"HEAR YE HEAR YE!" A voice boomed from the front of the room. Serana and Charlotte's gaze snapped forward as all the chattering around them came to a stop. There behind a giant wooden pedestal stood a strange banana-shaped monster. It had long tentacles for arms, beady eyes, and a giant mouth with two protruding bottom teeth that shifted around when it spoke. "The Third World Summit to decide the state of the War and the selection for the next King will begin momentarily! You all know me. I am Archduke of this castle, Holis Tistle, the three times great grandson of Willow Tistle who served as the first Archduke under the current King, Iluciano von Phoenix of the now defunct Kingdom of Italo. I will again be presiding over this summit in place of our Lord.

Now first things first, I have been informed by a rooster given to me by the Grand duke of this castle, Palmis Brigerd, that we have a record number of Royals in attendance here today. This is the largest surviving generation of the Phoenix clan with approximately 325 surviving juveniles excluding your parents, aunts and uncles. The total number of surviving royals then is believed to be 734. At this meeting I have been informed that 293 of those 325 juveniles are present or represented in some way. That's 30 more than the second summit and 49 more than the first. This is a legendary turnout for all summits since the very first many thousands of years ago! Once we take roll to confirm this and thus calculate the 66 percent needed to pass a vote, we will open the floor up to debate and the summit will officially begin.

That said if you need to deliberate during the course of the summit, please do so respectfully whilst someone has the floor. Furthermore, this summit will end at 7pm tonight unless the court votes to remain in session. If the summit lasts longer than a day, food and rooms will be provided here in the King's palace. For the duration of the deliberation, parties that leave will not have a second chance to vote on issues should these issues be polled in their absence. Please plan accordingly!

For representatives and ambassadors standing in for Princes and Princesses that could not make this summit, the stipulations for your responses on the behalf of said royal were discussed between you and your master. As such, it is the belief that you will obey and fairly represent them in this high court. The consequences for failing to do so have been made clear to you both by your master and this reminding statement.

Okay. Now that the formalities are done with, we shall begin the summit at this time, 14:13 on Friday of September of the 769th year of our King Iluciano. The seating has been arranged based on your indicated preferences but feel free to move to wherever is most convenient. We will now begin taking roll starting in the alphabetical order of your kingdoms," the great monster finished with a terrible boom in his voice. All were silent up until that point but the minute he finished speaking and said that last line, the entire room lit up with the voices of the hundreds present as they gave a good old "hear hear" in acknowledgement.

The Archduke then shook his head before glancing over to his side where the grand duke, a tall beast with a baboon like head, scribbled some last minute changes onto a rather large piece of parchment. The grand duke Brigerd then scuffled over to the side of the large podium handing the list to the Archduke who in turn wrapped his tentacles around it and yanked it up to spread it across his pedestal. And so Tistle, with the eyes of the entire world pinned on him, began calling out names making checks for those that responded and X's for the few that weren't present.

* * *

Two hours passed like that before the deliberations truly began, and now a rather short and slender princess with her hair tied back had the floor.

"The war has been postponed for three generations now. Up until this current king, every five generations there'd be a turnover. We're going on 8 and still our lord has not stepped down. We've been under King Iluciano for 769 years! We need a change here! We're overdue! A new King must be chosen!" The princess finished looking around the room to a great roar of a reception. Several members in the crowd clapped and whistled giving a loud "yes" and "hear, hear."

"We're not overdue for anything." A tender voice cut in. "From a historical point of view, our current Lord hasn't been in power for any excessive amount of time."

"Charlotte of Dunhauer." Archduke Tistle called and everyone's eyes fell on the centermost princess. "You wish to speak?"

"Yes your honor."

"You may do so."

"Thank you." Charlotte nodded as she stood up from her seat. "We've all heard the stories." She began. "We've all been educated in the history of our people. 70,000 years ago the kingdom was founded and with it, the Great War that beset our world came to an end. Since that time all those years ago, we've had 74 kings with our current Lord being the 75th. That's an average of 933 years a regime. Obviously that isn't the case for all Kings. Some of our oldest and most venerated Lords reigned for twice as long. Others three times as long. And still one, the first, even reigned for ten times as long which is the longest we've ever seen. Only over the last 20,000 years has this five generation precedent been in practice. So as you were saying, cousin Rachel of Wilinhart and Fieldhelm," Charlotte turned toward the princess with the ponytail all the way at the East end of the room. "It is true that our King has reigned for 8 generations coming, but a new King at the cost of a Royal War is in no way overdue." Charlotte finished and there were some scattered applause and whistling but nowhere near as much or as many as when her cousin spoke.

"You may be right Charlotte." Rachel sighed a little taken aback as she flipped her ponytail behind her. She was nonetheless respectful as she met Charlotte's gaze. "I admit, perhaps what I said doesn't give credence to the need for a new King… _however_… what you're saying right now doesn't mean there shouldn't be a new one either."

"I know cousin, I know. I'm just saying that we shouldn't be so eager to start a war. After all, our decision here today is directly tied to the fate of the world. We shouldn't rush. We should take as much time as we need before we decide on something so significant."

"Yet if we wait Charlotte," a voice called this time from the west side of the room, "the War will only get worse."

"Peter of Rudeen." Tistle looked over. "You have the floor."

"Thank you your honor." A very toned prince said as he stood up from his desk. He had shoulder length hair and muscles that could somehow be seen even underneath his thick royal coat. "I understand your point cousin." He said looking for Charlotte among the crowd. "Believe me, I do. War is something that needs to be approached with the utmost of caution. That said it is also something that cannot be ignored. As Archduke Tistle has informed us, this is the largest body of juvenile Phoenixes that will be participating in the fight for the throne. Not since the Great War have we seen such a large number in our population. Even our first summit, barely over a year and a half ago, saw the largest turnout of any council to date, and we have continued to beat that record with every council since.

But I agree… It's not due to the length of our current Lord's reign that we're in the situation that we're in. Rather, it's simply due to time itself. These past two hundred years have seen an Industrial Revolution. Industries are booming, new and old. The techniques of the past are slowly becoming more mechanized, and we are now exporting large numbers of goods that we otherwise would never have been able to produce. So of course with such prosperity, our population has grown.

Now let me ask you this. What do you think will happen if we continue to prosper? We should continue to grow yes? And therein lies the problem…

It's not a bad thing, I can't stress that enough, but this wave of prosperity and the rise in our numbers; it cannot be ignored. So when the War finally does get declared if not through our deliberations then those of our children or our children's children, or whenever our Lord himself decides to step down, I can only see it getting bigger and far worse than we could ever have imagined…

Charlotte… and all of you who came here today to champion peace, please understand. It's not as simple as postponing the War. We have to consider the times. We have to consider the future!" Peter finished and the room was silent. It practically exploded with cheering the very next second as thunderous applause showered down upon him.

"There's more to it than that!" Charlotte shouted fighting against the crowd. "There's more to it than that!" She repeated trying to get her voice heard as she stood up holding a hand above her head. "You've just pointed out something Peter; that we're prospering in an Industrial Revolution. You said that it wasn't a bad thing, and therein lies the point I hand back to you.

The fact is that we are indeed prospering, and not just us—our people too, our kingdoms. Because of the technological advancements that we've seen over the past two centuries, our people are in a golden age. So let me ask _you_ a question now, what do you think will happen if we declare war?

**We will lose everything. **_**Everything**_**.**" Charlotte reiterated as she looked around the room. Nobody's eyes dare meet her own even as a few drops of sweat rolled down the side of her face. Serana made to wipe them away but Charlotte just waved her off. "We will lose everything we've worked for. Our economies will collapse. All of our progress will be setback down to zero, and our golden age will come to an end.

You may talk about the future Peter, but we're in such a bad situation as it is, things can't possibly get any worse. We have over 200 kingdoms across the lands our Lord governs. Our kingdoms do not cover every corner of the globe, but they are spread throughout them. In other words, our fighting will reach every island, every nation, every mountain, every sea. We're talking about a global conflict and for how long? Till one of us is left standing? Till someone beats everybody else into submission? We're looking at a war that can easily last a _hundred_ _years_…

So Peter… if war is declared today, forget about the future, we won't even make it to tomorrow… We have so much to lose already… Please see that… See what is before you!" Charlotte said shaking her head as she finished. She glanced over at Daniel who was just a few seats away. He gave a proud nod and she returned it as a light wave of cheering filled the room. Most people, however, simply remained silent.

"You use the pronoun 'we' a lot," a familiar voice rang from the front. Charlotte recognized it immediately. "Yet I have to wonder if you don't have some ulterior motive."

"Cesare of Sicil." Archduke Tistle called. "You wish to speak?"

"Your honor." Cesare grinned smugly.

"Go on."

Cesare stood up and, as if to be as obnoxious as possible, he turned around to face the back of the room though his eyes fell on Charlotte specifically. "You talk about 'us' cousin like we all have the same agenda, but you never refer to you and yours. It's a bit suspicious really. You use that… _beautiful_ mouth to talk about everybody's problems except your own. I always wondered why, or rather how. How can you rule your people when you're so focused on the needs of others, and that's when I realized something. I realized that despite all your big talk about mutual interest, you were always looking out for yourself; because you see in a war like this, you're the one who'd suffer the most."

"I would suffer the most?" Charlotte repeated doing her best not to laugh. "Really? Me? In a global conflict where we would all be enemies, I _specifically_ would suffer the most? How do you figure that?" She questioned trying not to sound sarcastic and failing miserably. She earned a few chuckles from the Royals around her. Cesare's eyebrow twitched but he nonetheless kept up his arrogant smile.

"Quite simply," he said, "depending on how well prepared you are directly affects how much your people will suffer." He grinned even wider and now Charlotte was the one whose eyebrow twitched. "I mean, you boast a fair population of what? 15 million? 16 million?"

"18 million, seven hundred thousand." The young princess corrected with a glare.

"_18 million, seven hundred thousand_." Cesare whistled as he said the number slowly. He looked around the room with a stupid look of satisfaction plastered across his face. "That's just a little more than the average per kingdom. Yet even then with such an abundant population you failed to procure a standing army."

"I've kept myself demilitarized in protest…"

"Oh is that what it is? Because you see I was under the impression that you simply could not procure the necessary resources to bolster yourself. So while you talk about destroying the world, this is really about destroying your world isn't Charlotte? It's your own wretched soul you're trying to save! I haven't heard of any alliances brokered between you and any of our relatives."

"That isn't true… I stand behind her."

"Ah… Daniel…" Cesare said with the faintest hint of disgust. "I should have figured as much, but if that's true then Charlotte has lied in this high court! Saying she protests the war while secretly plotting in the shadows… a person like that has no right to talk to me about peace!"

"Calm down Cesare. You speak of things you do not understand. I don't deny that I will suffer in this war if that's what you're looking for. I figured that much was obvious. I was just saying we'd all suffer no matter how well-prepared or unprepared we are. And one more thing… I do have offers of alliance, far more than any of yours Cesare… I have refused them all **to protest the war**…"

"…Then you know what I say to that… _cousin_? I say you are simply naïve…" Cesare smirked as he sat back down. "That's all your honor." He got a few cheers and claps and Charlotte bit her lip.

"Why does it have to come to this?" The young princess heard a voice to her side. She thanked the heavens above as she saw Daniel stand up. "Have any of you asked yourselves that? Do we not live in comfort and in power? I mean sure, we rule our domains subservient to our Lord, but we are all independent of each other! We're all equals, princes and princesses with lands to govern! What more do we need? Is it really worth the slaughter of so many for the namesake title of King? Is it—!"

"Stop right there Daniel." An older Royal called from the back. "You're a good man and Charlotte you're good too but I simply cannot listen to this anymore." He said and Charlotte's heart just about sank. "If this is all that you have, then I have to insist that we start the vote now."

"I second that!" Cesare called and a good chunk of the room shouted in agreement.

"Why should we care anyway?" Another Royal chimed in, this one just a few rows in front of Charlotte. "There must be a new king… why is irrelevant… there simply must be. As for the number of Phoenixes which seems to be such a big deal… I say the more, the better! This is for the selection of King after all, the greatest of all rulers and beings in the universe. There can be no mistake in the selection for such an office. If a global war is the only way to decide then so be it. The world understands the need, and we've heard the same morally high speech already… I have not traveled ten thousand miles today just to hear you talk your philosophy."

"It isn't like we've ignored your wishes either Charlotte," yet another voice cut in, and Charlotte started to sweat. "We've listened to you before over the last two councils. You managed to sway the majority against declaring the war; however, you barely had enough votes last time. Not to mention the majority of your support was not from those sympathetic to your cause, though I'll admit there were a few. Many simply voted to postpone the war for their own purposes, to buy more time and that sort of thing. I'm not saying you're one of them as Cesare was accusing, but it is a reality of our situation. I mean most of those same people voted to hold another council and so here we are. Back again to vote on the same issue we evidently can't agree on… though I think, by the end of today, you will have significantly less people voting on your side… to the point where postponing the war is impossible…

I am sorry. My heart goes out to Dunhauer. Its people are good and many kingdoms, my own included, rely on you and yours to produce the imports that we need. But you cannot stop what's coming Charlotte. All arguments aside, you cannot dissuade us this time." The Prince finished and the room went silent. There was no more cheering. There was no more need. Almost all the Royals were unified now in their silence staring at the Archduke bidding him to close the debate.

"Anyone else before we start the vote?" Tistle asked as Charlotte looked around. "Anyone?" The Archduke called again as Charlotte's eyes darted all over the place.

"You know," she said doing her best to stop her voice from breaking, "what it really comes down to… is _fear_. We're phoenixes. We know we can live forever. No other people can make such a boast. We have this gift of immortality dangled in front of us along with the promise of infinite power. The only thing we have to do to obtain it is kill one another in a bloody civil war. Now there's clearly something wrong with that already but it's obvious that's not going to change, least ways by words alone. The real question is: are we really that afraid of dying that we'd rather wage a global war for the chance to live forever?

Many of you came here today with servants; maids and butlers who have tended to you since birth. Take a good look at them. These are some of the people we'd be sacrificing. The people who serve us, and not just them, but our knights and peasants too, and all those who have worked hard all their lives catering to our whims, paying our taxes, treating us like we were the very King himself because to them, in their mind… we were. We are. How then can we throw their lives away simply because we fear losing our own? How can we betray their trust like that? Just for the chance that one of us will become the Immortal King? No. That's not the kind of world I want to live in, that's not our way! Don't let fear compromise who we are… don't be tempted by the throne… don't forget the kingdoms we rule… or the people we serve." Charlotte finished as she plopped down in her seat. "Just do what's right!" She snapped and this time a few tears were rolling down her face. "That's all I have to say your honor. That's all that's left to say anyway…"

"Yeah…" Tistle whispered underneath his breath as he heaved a heavy sigh. He bowed his head in Charlotte's direction as a show of respect. "Right. Any other last minute words?" He asked looking out across the room. Nobody said a thing. "Then the vote for the War will begin now." He clapped his tentacles together before shuffling through his papers. A light chatter filled the room though again, nobody cheered. This time actually, many of them just looked at the ground like a sick sort of disgust had suddenly taken root.

Charlotte herself just reached into her pocket and pulled out a watch. She glanced at the time before turning toward Serana. "See?" She whispered and her eyes glazed a bit. "I told you we wouldn't last ten minutes…"

* * *

The voting process took about an hour. The Archduke once again went through all the names on his roster albeit a lot quicker than before. He simply asked each Royal "aye" or "nay." They all knew the question. Should the Royal War be declared? Whatever they said was then logged no less than two times as both Tistle and Brigerd tallied separately. Many of the Royals in the crowd were tallying too, no doubt their nerves getting the better of them. The vote was actually getting pretty close.

There were a lot of ayes in the beginning but then, after about forty votes and only a handful of nays—Charlotte's and Daniel's included, there came a sudden block of nays. It wasn't an extraordinary amount of course and in the end, far more Royals were still in favor of the War. None of that was the problem. Rather; however, it was the fact that without a clear 2/3 vote, the motion could not pass… that's what did the trick, that's what sank the teeth of doubt into every Royal there… Charlotte and her cause were indeed still in the fray… and then it was over. Just like that. Before the young princess or anyone else could even realize it, it was over.

"That's the last of them!" Tistle boomed as he glanced at Brigerd who gave a nod back. "Is there anyone whose name I haven't called or who would like to change their vote at this time?" The great monster said as he looked out from his podium.

Nobody responded. Most of the Royals were still huddled over their desks, their blonde heads bowed down with their maids and butlers buzzing in their ears. A few people though were already cheering. Some of the other Royals went up to them to ask about their numbers and, after a brief second of comparing, they too started to smile and dance.

It just made Charlotte queasy. She was trying to do the numbers herself but her hands wouldn't stop shaking. Down in front of her, the paper she was writing on seemed to shift in and out of focus and she could swear the room was spinning. She knew she had fewer votes than at the first summit and more than at the second. She'd won at both of them, but just barely the second time around and now there were more people to account for too. _Damn it!_ She thought. Whatever euphoria she'd felt over the surge of nays now seemed to melt away and in its place was a growing anxiety. _Just a little bit more and I'm sure we'd be okay! Somebody_… her eyes darted around. _ Anybody_… she begged.

_Just. One. More. Miracle._

"PRINCESS CHARLOTTE! SERANA!" A voice suddenly echoed throughout the room.

The young princess shot up. "That voice!" She gasped as she and Serana looked at each other. "PATRICIA!" They said in unison as they turned their heads around. Sure enough, there running down the aisle at the right end of the room was none other than their missing maid. She was actually quite easy to spot since she was almost as red and as glowing as Serana. In fact, if one didn't know any better, the two of them could have easily passed for siblings though this maid kept her hair tied back in a bun as oppose to Serana's long flowing mane. It was a small thing but it made all the difference. That and she also had longer horns and larger eyes, the kind that looked too cute because they were quite big and bug like.

Charlotte's eyes just followed her as she ran down the aisle and for some reason the young princess could not explain, she felt a small smile stretch across her face. She knew what she'd written on her paper. She knew what the numbers were telling her. Yet the minute she looked down that aisle at Patricia, she couldn't help but feel it. Everything was going to be okay. Everything was going to be just fine…

That feeling of relief didn't leave her, not even when her poor bustling maid tripped in her hurry falling flat on her face. There were a few snickers and suppressed chuckles at that point though most of the Royals in the room were simply wondering what the hell was going on. Charlotte and Serana just made their way to the edge of their aisle.

"What's the meaning of this interruption?" Tistle shouted as Charlotte and Serana got to their maid.

"Are you okay?" Serana asked as she helped Patricia to her knees while Charlotte waved a hand at the Archduke as if to ask for a few seconds. "Patricia." The young princess said turning back toward her maids. Patricia didn't say a word—not that she could with her huffing and puffing the way she was. Instead she simply held out a small enveloped note. She wagged it a few times in the air as if bidding her master to take it. Charlotte did and in less than a second she opened the letter and skimmed through its contents reading it aloud for Serana to hear. Her eyes quickly lit up as did Serana's as they looked back at Patricia who just nodded at them. The three then turned toward the Archduke.

Charlotte took off sprinting. She didn't run, she didn't walk, she _sprinted_ toward the front of the room as Serana helped Patricia up. The young princess wasted no time at all as she went right up to the podium and handed the note to Tistle himself. "I've just received a letter," she said barely able to contain her excitement, "a letter from both Viktor and Jezebel von Phoenix of Dunhauer stating they wish to submit two votes to postpone the war!"

"Let me see that." Tistle grumbled as he wrapped his tentacles around the envelope and pulled it up to his face.

_Father._ Charlotte smiled almost about to cry as Serana gripped her hand with her free arm while she balanced Patricia on the other.

"I thought I… *gasp*… wasn't going to… *wheeze*… make it!" Patricia coughed with a weak smile as Charlotte cupped her face and kissed her forehead.

"What took you so long?" Serana chuckled.

"Do you know how many flights of stairs I had to rundown?" The tired maid gasped and my god did her face glow when she said that, even Charlotte and Serana couldn't help but smile as they all beamed looking back at Tistle.

"As you can see the seal of Dunhauer is present as are the signatures of both my parents." Charlotte reassured as Tistle tore his eyes from the letter and gave her a long hard look.

"Yes." He finally said and then his face broke out into a smile. "YES!" He bellowed as he looked up toward the baffled room. "I have just received not one, but two votes in favor of postponing the war!"

"WHAT THE HELL? A nearby Royal spat and with him, the room itself seemed to roar with life.

"ORDER ORDER!" Tistle shouted banging on his podium with a large mallet he pulled out from somewhere.

"Your honor!" Cesare fumed standing up. "I object! Viktor and Jezebel have no right to vote here!"

"And who are you to say who has the right to vote?" Charlotte grinned.

"If he votes here then he's saying he will participate in this War should it pass! Does he really intend that though? Fighting us, fighting his own daughter! He's not involved in this war anymore… his generation had their chance, his time is past!"

"And I am to believe," Charlotte persisted, "that you will discriminate in your fighting Cesare?" At this the crude prince's brow twitched as Charlotte's gaze gunned him down. "Whether or not he fights in this war, he is still affected by it. After all, he and I live in the same place. Most of your parents are in a similar situation. It's a _consequence_ of our selection process for King… you know, in case you forgot…"

"Their votes stand." Tistle agreed and Cesare's head snapped toward him in disbelief. "He's sent a note expressing his wishes." The Archduke explained. "It's signed by both him and his wife. I'll take that as he understands the consequences… like it or not Cesare he is as much a part of this War as you are."

"Then let all the other Royals here vote today!"

"The other Royals, our aunts and our uncles, are welcomed to vote," Charlotte cut in, "if they're willing to accept the consequences you were talking about."

"TSST!"

"My parents have openly accepted them so they are as much a target as I am now. That said go ahead. Even if you are a part of this war, we all know the difference between declaring it and waging it."

"Fine then!" Cesare barked like a mad dog. He turned back toward the Archduke. "But give them one vote, not two! Only Phoenixes should have the right to vote here! Jezebel is not a Royal! She's just a damned vampire! She has no place here!"

"Overruled."

"WHAT?"

"Lady Jezebel of Dunhauer may indeed be a vampire but the blessing of the Phoenixes can be bestowed upon anyone regardless of race. You know this to be true or have you forgotten your own heritage Cesare? Furthermore, she is as much a ruler as anyone here despite gaining that authority through her marriage with the true Lord of Dunhauer, Viktor von Phoenix! That's the law that we have abided by for thousands of years now."

"That's not fair!"

"Not fair? Haha… well, if the war passes and you become King Cesare, you can change the laws as you see fit." The Archduke finished leaving Cesare clenching his teeth, baring his fangs at Charlotte. "And anyway, we're ending the poll here."

"THAT'S WRONG! YOU'RE CHEATING FOR HER!" Cesare instantly flared up again and this time, a good chunk of the room agreed as a loud protest broke out once more.

"ORDER ORDER!" The Archduke went again bashing his poor wooden podium with his thunderous mallet. He tried to pacify the crowd but this time they weren't having it as a few managed to get their voices heard over all the rioting screams.

"CESARE IS RIGHT! TWO VOTES COULD VERY WELL MEAN THE DIFFERENCE!"

"I AGREE! THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING! EXTEND THE VOTING TIME!"

"I SECOND THAT MOTION!"

"AYE!"

"YES EXTEND THE TIME!"

"ORDER I SAID! ORDER!" Tistle growled furiously. It took a few more thunderous bashings of his mallet but he finally got the crowd under control. "We were finishing up the voting already." He coughed downing the glass of water Brigerd offered him. "We're only counting Jezebel's and Viktor's because they got their votes in before we finished tabulating. It was made clear to all the Royals before the start of these summits that if they wished to participate in the vote, they could so long as one, they agreed that they would uphold the outcome of the vote whether or not it went in their favor, and two, they made their intention clear and responded when the issue was polled. Viktor and Jezebel have answered that call and I will not hear any more objections!" Tistle shouted glancing at grand duke Brigerd who nodded at him. "While all of you in this court have the authority to pose motions and vote on issues, we have ultimate say over the voting process. Therefore, by our right presiding over this summit as neutral representatives appointed by the current King, we hereby overrule the motion to extend the voting time! It ends here people." The Archduke declared and no one dare argue with him this time. His fierce gaze stopped them all before they could even think of breaking out in protest once again. "PLEASE ALLOW US A FEW MINUTES NOW TO MAKE THE NECESSARY CORRECTIONS AND VALIDATE THE NUMBERS!" Tistle boomed as he and Brigerd along with a few other regal looking officials finally came together. All the Royals in the crowd were now huddled down again redoing the numbers themselves. Charlotte was going to as well but by the time she got back to her seat with her two maids and settled in, the Archduke spoke again.

"It's done!" He began and Charlotte looked up. "It's done!" He repeated and the young princess gripped Patricia's hand in one arm and Serana's in the other. "After counting the votes twice, we have as follows.

There are **83** votes to postpone the war including the two last minute votes from Dunhauer.

**18** votes abstaining.

And **194** votes in favor of the War out of the total 295 which again includes the two from Dunhauer.

As per the rules of this conference, those abstaining count as a negative vote and are thus counted as votes against the War.

That is… **not** **a clear majority**." Tistle said and Charlotte froze. "That is 65 percent out of the necessary 66. The motion fails!" She heard him say or rather she thought she heard him say as all the sound in the world seemed to cut out from under her.

_Wait a minute._ She thought as she blinked a few times in disbelief. _Hold on. Stop please._ She choked as she turned her head toward her maids. "Did we just… _win_?" She questioned with this utter look of shock on her face. Serana and Patricia just smiled at her. Tears were streaming down their cheeks already but still Charlotte didn't understand. "We won right?" She asked again like a little child begging for a straight answer. Patricia tried to explain but what came out was a squeal as she started to sob. She clasped her hands to her mouth and glanced at Serana hoping her fellow maid would step in.

"Yes." Serana managed to say as she wiped her eyes. "We won my milady." She sighed and with that, the young princess felt a great prickling feeling build on the nape of her neck.

"Oh!" She gasped as she immediately huddled into her desk. She looked around for the piece of paper she'd been writing on but she couldn't find it. It must have fallen when she and Serana had gotten up. She was about to start writing on the desk when her eyes settled on the damp cloth Serana had been using. Not even hesitating, she yanked it near and pulled out her quill to scribble down some quick numbers.

"We won by one vote." She whispered after a few seconds. _We won by one vote. _ She thought wide-eyed as she covered her mouth with her hand and Serana knelt down to pat her back. "O-oh Phoeeenixes! WE WOOOOOON!" She screamed at the top of her lungs though no one heard her cheer. Her voice was completely lost in the groaning of many of the Royals in the room who at that point, didn't have it in them to riot anymore. They simply broke down with a hateful groan. Some of them chucked their quills on their desks while others crumbled up the paper they were tallying on, and still others just slammed their hands on their tables, got up and left.

"You're honor," Cesare's voice resounded through it all. "I demand a revote!"

"Denied."

"WHY?"

"What do you mean why?" The Archduke said raising his eyebrow. "The outcome of the vote is final Cesare. It is what it is…"

"Then let us take a vote to poll again!"

"What? You motion to vote on a revote?"

"YES!"

"Overruled."

"That's unfair! You can't deny us that!"

"CALM YOURSELF CESARE AND LISTEN! Look. We can't support your motion because the only way we could in sound mind sanction a revote was if there was clearly something wrong with the voting process. 'I didn't win' is not a valid reason to redo the poll.

Now I'll admit the numbers were closer than we've ever seen them, but after calculating them twice and confirming them between Brigerd, myself and all the Royal consulates, a 66 percent vote was definitely not reached. We don't round up or down here Cesare as I'm sure you know, but 66 percent is the minimum needed to pass a vote. That's the ancient law of these summits. It's as simple as that. There is no loophole you can exploit here. This is the outcome. The vote stands." The Archduke finished and Cesare just looked awful.

"Yes… your honor." The defeated Prince shook his head. "Then motion to vote for another summit." He shrugged his shoulders and this time he got a few Royals from the crowd to agree with him.

"I second that motion!"

"Motion second!"

"Aye me too, motion second!"

"Now that we can do." Tistle nodded as he shifted his gaze to pan out across the room. He smashed his mallet once to get their attention. "Listen up everyone! We'll be voting to hold another summit shortly!" He said before looking back at Brigerd no doubt trying to decide on a time. The summit had lasted for about three hours now and though they had till seven, they'd be lying if they said they didn't need a break. A 20 or so minute respite right now sounded almost as good as a Phoenix's blessing, and Tistle agreed. He nodded at Brigerd before turning back to face the crowd. He opened his mouth to speak… but he didn't get a chance to say a word.

A great piercing caw suddenly cut him off as it filled the entire room and everyone looked up.

There many miles above the sky past the greenish glass dome that capped off the massive room flew a bird of flame. And for a second, everyone just stopped what they were doing and stared. How could they not? Up above the heavens seemed to part and in between the cracks, great flaming fingers peeled back the sky as they turned into wings that stretched to the ends of the Earth. At the center of those wings, right where all could see, a massive body of flame hovered with a great long neck that beaked at the end.

_The current King?_ Charlotte's red silted pupils all but shrank as her mouth twisted up in agony. _No. He shouldn't be here… The war hasn't been declared… He shouldn't have anything to decree! Unless… oh no…_ She gasped and sure enough just as that thought dawned upon her, just as everyone was captivated by this phoenix and all its glory, the great fiery beast gave another caw. It rumbled the world, it shook the room, it thundered in your head like some sort of bass, and then, in the same instant, the Phoenix sent a beam of light straight through the heavens with another booming crack—one that could easily be heard around the world. And then it vanished. Just as everyone blinked their eyes again, the Phoenix was gone and there was a dead silence in the room.

They all knew what just happened, what it all meant. No audible words were ever said, but none were needed. The cawing, the burst of light, it communicated everything without fail, like it crawled inside their minds and told them exactly what they needed to know…

Charlotte's eyes went vacant. She kept staring upward even after the great bird disappeared like everything she knew had finally come crashing down.

"So it is decided." Tistle's voice was the first to break the silence. "Despite the outcome of our vote, the King… has _rejected_ our decision. As you all know, the will of the Phoenixes is absolute. There can be no arguing here. After three generations of deliberations, and three summits within the past two years alone, the next Royal War has finally been declared. Let the… let the Phoenix's will be done." The Archduke finished and the room fell back into silence. Everybody was just quiet as if they were waiting for everything to sink in. They knew what it all meant sure, now they were just trying to figure out how to react to it. It didn't take them long for the very next second, the room exploded. Cheering? Screaming? No, the room exploded. That's the only thing that could describe the sound that suddenly erupted forth as all the Royals seemed to try to one-up the cawing of their master; respond to his voice with their own, and they did. Whatever disappoint any of them felt seemed to melt away now that they'd evidently won in the fastest turnover of any vote in all of history. So yes, they were celebrating. Some of the Royals were even dancing and telling their servants to go down to the kitchens and bring up the wines. But not Charlotte. Not the Princess of Dunhauer as she found her way to her feet.

"Wait wait no no no…" She begged, almost whining even, but no one paid her any mind, not even the Archduke though he was busy trying to talk to the grand duke; an impossible task given how loud the room was getting because yes, the cheering was starting to get even louder. "AT LEAST TELL ME WHY!" She screamed. "WHY? WHY? WHY?" She cried but even as she tried her best to get her voice heard she was utterly drowned out by the sounds of feral howling all around her. Never before had she seen such animalistic glee in the men and women she had called her cousins as they danced basking in the glory of their own demise. Drool hung off the side of their murderous faces as they hugged and kissed one another seemingly oblivious to the fact that tomorrow they'd be slaughtering each other. Maybe they knew, maybe this was just how sick they all were, an entire race vaulting into its own destruction.

It didn't matter what she had said, all of her points, all of her reasons. Her cousins didn't care about those insignificant and menial details. One of them out there was going to live forever. Everyone else was just in the way.

So it was in that moment that Charlotte realized… this is the way the world works. After all of her fighting, she lost. Even when she won, she still lost. _It's really over…_ she thought as she shut herself up, pushed her chair in and started squeezing through her aisle.

On her way out, she saw someone with their head down while their maid tended to them. She gently patted the desk as she walked by with her own maids trying to keep up asking her multiple times if she was okay. It was impossible for Charlotte to have heard them then but she knew what they were asking. She simply chose to ignore them. Not even waiting for Daniel, the young princess made her way to the door.

"WAIT!" A sinister voice called her back. How that voice reached her over all that screaming, Charlotte would never know but she knew it was meant for her. She recognized it immediately. It was just her kind of luck that way. "Well cousin," Cesare smirked as he stood atop his desk scanning the crowd for her, "it looks like you lost. I have _sooo_ many things I'd love to say to you right now." He grinned biting his lip at the thought. He quickly shrugged it off as he wiped the drool away from his mouth. "But I think I'd rather say this… I'd rather say that for all your noble talk and high moral points, **you failed**.

_You. Failed. _

Our very King descended from the heavens to make that clear… so you see Charlotte? Peter was right. You can't stop what's coming. After all, what could a scared little girl like you even do? You, who is so afraid of what we are you don't even want to be a part of the same world?" The cruel Prince chastised as his eyes finally settled on the lone Princess. Even through that crowded room, she was not safe from his gaze; his merciless eyes adding insult to her injury working her body over in some sick sort of obsession. "The answer is nothing." He drooled as he took out a gold trimmed flintlock pistol from the pocket of his coat and pointed it at the young Princess. Serana and Patricia's eyes widened as time seemed to speed up. "**So die now you bitch.**" Cesare mouthed as he lined up his shot and pulled the trigger.

**Bang.**

* * *

Ending Theme: Nurarihyon no Mago Opening 1 OST—Fast Forward by Monkey Majik

* * *

**NEXT TIME:** The Third World Summit to decide the state of the War has come and passed and with it a gunshot that would be heard around the world! Charlotte, for all her best attempts, has been shot down, first by her ancestors and now by her cousin. With the War finally declared, the balance of power is starting to shift. Who is friend and who is foe? And what about the world? How will the citizens of the Monster Realm react as War comes beating down their doors asking for their children? Things are about to get horrifying when things come crashing down next time on Princess Rising!

**End Note:** Alright guys. So how was that for an update? I hope it wasn't too long or too wordy! I know that can be a real problem with my work but I do hope it was less so this time around! As I said before, I also hope this chapter got you guys a little more interested in this story. The first chapter was a little slow and nothing really happened. The next chapter should be action-packed so please stick around for that! Let me know how you're enjoying the story so far or if you're even interested in it at all! I don't like leaving stories half-finished but if it's not very good, I don't want to waste anyone's time if no one wants to read it. I just thought that I could again dig into the rich world of PR that we barely got to see in the original manga. That was the same inspiration I had for Princess Finale. So while Yasunori Mitsunaga goes off on his own spin-off, one revolving around everyone's favorite spider goddess, I'll keep digging away at the lore he left us in the original PR continuity—tying up loose ends and such! Oh and before I forget, sorry about the late update! Again? Yes again. Sorry, I know… I was trying to get this chapter done in two weeks, but then I decided to change one part and that required serious rewriting and reediting. I hope the chapter is better for it and I hope you guys enjoyed it! Let me know in a review if you can! See you in about three or four weeks for the next update! Look out for the concept art, it's coming soon! Thanks! Raza out.


End file.
